Cherry Brandy (Visinata)

Bottled and ready to serve
Easy Homemade Cherry Brandy (Visinata)
Vişinată is a Romanian homemade alcoholic beverage made from sour cherries, and since it is homemade, there really is no "official" recipe for it.
This sipping drink is traditionally drank on Christmas morning.

This is a drink I share with friends and family during the fall and winter holidays.  It has a very smooth pleasant taste equally enjoyed by people who enjoy dry wine or people who enjoy sweet wine.

Just a word of caution:  This is a very smooth drink and sometimes is mistakenly thought to have a low alcohol content.  The women at our Crafting Circle Christmas Party got a “snoot full”, as my mother used to say.  There was much singing, gaiety and shenanigans needless to say.


The best flavor will strongly depend on the quality of the cherries, so I strongly recommended using only fresh hand picked healthy ripe fruit.


Homemade Cherry Brandy


Kids having fun picking cherries
Ingredients:

3 lbs. cherries
5 cups sugar
Vodka (the higher proof the better)
1 large glass jar

Directions:

Wash and stalk the cherries. Leave the stones, which will add a little almond flavor to the finished product.

Put the cherries and sugar into large sterilized glass jar (or any non-metal container) in alternating layers, ending with a sugar layer on top. I double the recipe so I use a large glass pickle jar.

Cover the top of the jar with several layers of cheesecloth secured with a rubber band or very loosely apply the jar lid, just setting it on top, not screwed on.
Gases from the fermentation process need to escape, but you want to keep insects out!

Also, keep the outside of the jar clean by daily wiping off any juice that make leak out. I keep a towel under the jar to catch anything that drips down the sides of the jar.

Cherries & sugar in a glass jar
in alternating layers

Allow the cherry mixture to ferment, which will take approximately 2 weeks.
During those 2 weeks, gently stir the mixture or roll the bottle at least twice a day to mix. You should be gentle when stirring the mixture to prevent breakdown of the fruit.  This is an important step to make sure all the cherries are rotated into the sugar and have fermented correctly.

Cherries and sugar fermenting

After fermentation, add the vodka in equal parts to the cherry mixture. My jar was half full of the cherry mixture, so I filled the remaining half with vodka for a 50 – 50 mix.
Important: Do not add the vodka in the beginning.  Alcohol kills everything and will also stop the fermentation.

Vişinată is ready to drink with in 4 weeks after adding the vodka but its best when allowed to set for a few months to mellow.  Aging the drink improves the flavor.

Store in glass jars in a cool dark place

After mixing vodka with cherry mixture, spoon out cherries and place a few or many into each storage jar or bottle. Pour vodka cherry mixture on top of cherries and seal the jars.
Or you can remove the cherries right away and use for ingredient in cakes and pies.  If left in the jars they will wrinkle and lose flavor with time.

Store Cherry Brandy in a cool dark place for months or until ready to drink.
Before serving, place a bottle or two in the refrigerator to chill. Serve chilled with 2 or 3 cherries added to each glass.

PRINT THIS RECIPE

"Prost"

You can also use the leftover cherries, pitted, to make cherry cordials: just dip them in sugar fondant, let them dry, and then dip them in chocolate. The alcohol in the cherries liquefies the fondant so you have liquid inside your chocolate shell.


This year I may try this same recipe using blueberries or maybe raspberries.  I’m not sure I’ll share the Raspberry Brandy with friends and family, just so you know,

Elizabeth


22 comments:

  1. The cherry brandy looks awesome.
    I may try to make it next summer when the cherries come in! I'm sure the raspberry brandy would be really good, too. I think Bev made some wine years ago.
    Fran

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  2. Yes, I remember Beverly and I think Big Steve making wine. Wonder how that turned out? I was too young to drink it, haha.
    This Cherry Brandy is really smooth so I'm looking forward to trying other fruits.
    I also made Apple Pie Moonshine and will post that recipe sometime soon.
    Elizabeth.

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  3. I constantly emailing this webpage's posts to all my contacts, as I'm sure they will like too read them as much as me, lol. Thanks for sharing great posts.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Why thank you, I hope they visit often and like the blog!

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  4. I just had to comment because this is almost exactly how my family makes brandy for years and years.

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    Replies
    1. Well that's great. Actually while researching how to make Visinata or Cherry Brandy I ran across a very long comment written by an old Romanian woman who wrote in detail about how to make it just like her family has for generations. She also said it is served during Holidays, which I love. Thanks for letting me know this recipe is also close to an your old family recipe.

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  5. Elizabeth Ohiothoughts, i am very interested in that comment from the old Romanian woman who how her family made it! Can you direct me to it? I found this blog here and am making it and passed it on to my great aunt so she can too! We are both very excited and we would both be interested in the Romanian recipe too!

    Thanks for sharing this wonderful blog! We love reading your blogs and trying your recipes!!

    Hope

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  6. Hi there! Someone in my Facebook group shared this site
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  7. After the cherry liquor is made, can the cherries be used to make a canned cherry pie filling?

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    Replies
    1. It would be an adult cherry pie if you use the liquor soaked cherries, haha

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  8. Can I use the cherries for pie filling?

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    Replies
    1. Pie filling cherries have been cooked so most of what is needed to get flavor, etc. would be gone

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  9. AnonymousJuly 20, 2019

    Can I use a good brandy and just cherrys to make this??

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    Replies
    1. Yes, the fermenting of the sugars first just kick it up a notch

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  10. AnonymousJuly 17, 2020

    My cherries all molded!! What did I do wrong, is it still good??

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    Replies
    1. The cherries need to remain in the alcohol at all times, stirring every couple of days helps to endure the cherries remain saturated.

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  11. very important, this drink is made only with sour cherries not regular cherries , and that was mentioned only one time
    in USA those cherries are named ”Morello cherry”!
    other drinks of this type can be made with blackcurrant or blueberries

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for the tip of using sour cherries

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  12. Howdy! This looks lovely!! I love cherries and can't wait to try this! I do have a question what if instead of Vodka you was to use Everclear instead?? I'd like a higher proof but I dont want to lose the wonderful flavor thankya!

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    Replies
    1. Yes, Everclear or vodka will work. You just want an alcohol with no flavor. The cherries will add the flavor

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  13. It's that time of year again! Since I don't have a cherry orchard, so I'll have to rely on some local Central Ohio farms that sell frozen pitted tart cherries brought from Michigan or Canada, so no pit bitterness for me sadly.
    Would you recommend Everclear or some other kind of "alcool rafinat"?

    Cheers!

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  14. Everclear or vodka will work. you just want an alcohol with no flavor. the cherries add the flavor

    ReplyDelete

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